Intro
T' Spin Fin is a 3 fin sport rocket from Quest with a unique twist. Begad!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

As this was me first model rocket from Quest I was curious t' see how Quest compares t' t' other rocket manufactures that are on t' sport rocketry market. I was favorably impressed with t' kit, me bucko, it’s instructions and the materials. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! And since Quest rockets are less expensive than t' other more well known rocket company, arrr, this quest kit is a good bargain for t' rocketeer. I purchased this kit at Hobby Lobby for $6.78, which compares well with the Internet bargain stores. Aye aye! Blimey! Quest sells their kits in t' now common clear plastic bag. All o' t' parts in t' kit were thar and in good shape. T' kit consists of a sheet o' pre-cut balsa fins, me bucko, a body tube, a motor mount, ya bilge rat, matey, a plastic nose cone and a plastic 12" parachute

T' instructions come printed double sided on three sheets o' paper. Aye aye! the first two sheets are t' basic instructions t' build t' rocket, and t' last sheet contains t' preparation and launch instructions. T' NARRRRR safety code is also printed on t' backside o' t' display card. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' instructions are profusely illustrated and should be easily followed by t' novice rocketeer. T' instructions are in a logical order for t' construction o' t' rocket. The only Issue that I have with t' instructions is that in step number nine they call for you t' thread t' shock cord, matey, which is attached t' t' motor mount, through t' body tube, shiver me timbers, and then glue t' motor mount into t' body tube. Ahoy! Aye aye! This leaves t' possibility o' gettin' glue on t' shock cord, matey, arrr, which could potentially weaken it. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Instead o' threadin' t' shock cord through t' body tube, one should thread it through t' center o' t' motor mount, and out the bottom o' t' rocket. In this way thar be no chance o' gettin' glue on the shock cord. Begad! There be t' usual body tube markin' template in t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

T' model goes together well. Begad! It shows that t' instructions are well thought out and the components o' t' kit are o' good quality. Aye aye! Your standard compliment o' hobby tools, matey, knife, ya bilge rat, me hearties, pencil, glue and sandpaper, ya bilge rat, me hearties, is sufficient for buildin' this rocket. This gives t' modeler a good solid rocket for a very reasonable price. T' gluin' o' t' spin tabs on t' fins is a little tricky, me bucko, but t' alignment of t' tabs is nay extremely critical since t' fins themselves are of sufficient size for stability. T' spin tabs provide t' spin that is the gimmick for this rocket. Begad! Aye aye!

T' rocket is finished in basic white paint. Arrr! Begad! T' decals or more properly, matey, a sheet o' self-adhesive stickers have a good color saturation for applyin' t' a white rocket. Begad! If you are paintin' this rocket another color, shiver me timbers, they are not opaque enough t' keep somethin' other than white from bleedin' through, me hearties, a common problem that I have found with this type o' decals. Ya scallywag! Avast! There are two decals, one is a rin' that is applied near t' nose cone o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, and the other is a large graphic that spans two fins and half o' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! The latter decal is difficult t' apply and seat, shiver me timbers, where a waterslide decal here would be much easier t' apply. Blimey! Begad! I ended up cuttin' t' decal into two pieces to apply it and I still be nay happy with t' results. With t' exception o' the difficulty with t' large decal, t' model is easily finished and looks very close t' t' picture supplied with t' kit.

Flight Recovery Rating: 5 out o' 5

Quest Recommends t' A6-4, ya bilge rat, me bucko, B6-4, C6-5 and C6-7 motors for this model. The motor is held in place in a quick release engine mount by a metal clip, making changin' t' motors quick and easy. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' recovery system consists o' a combination Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord, and a 12" parachute. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™ cord is attached to t' front centerin' rin' o' t' motor mount and t' elastic as attached to it and runs up t' t' nose cone. Avast! Arrr! T' resultant shock cord is at least twice as long as t' model. T' 12" parachute is assembled followin' instructions printed on t' periphery o' t' parachute that are removed in t' building process. T' material seems light and flimsy, but held up well in t' launch. T' shroud line attachment is made t' self-adhesive rectangles that are put on each corner. Well, blow me down! These are stiff and do nay bend easily, matey, and as a result make the parachute difficult t' pack into t' rocket. Blimey! Ya scallywag! However they are very sturdy and should last for many flights. Aye aye! Preparation is typical for any small model rocket. Ya scallywag! I used 4 squares o' Estes waddin' in t' rocket and thar was absolutely no scorchin' o' t' recovery system. Ya scallywag! Arrr! One will need t' ensure that only t' Keelhaul®©™ portion o' t' shock cord is below t' wadding.

T' first and only flight o' Spin Fin be usin' an Estes A8-3 motor. Avast, me proud beauty! The launch be straight and t' ejection charge blew about 1 second after the rocket reached apogee, me bucko, close t' perfect. Ahoy! T' parachute opened smartly and the descent was at a good rate, shiver me timbers, arrr, nay too fast as t' cause damage t' t' rocket, and not too slow as t' drift a long distance away from t' launch sight. T' rocket was returned undamaged and ready t' prep for another flight. Blimey! On t' second attempt, arrr, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' batteries were dead in t' launch controller (should have charged them after t' winter) so I reluctantly packed up and went home. Begad!

Overall Rating: 4½ out o' 5

All things considered this is a nice sport rocket that has unique spin stabilization. Ya scallywag! T' kit is solidly built, me bucko, has a good recovery system with the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! T' low price o' t' Quest rocket line makes them in me opinion to be an excellent value for t' rocket-lovin' public. T' only negatives are the shroud line mounts and step nine in t' instructions that needs t' be improved. T' positives are an inexpensive sturdy model with unique stabilization that will be fun t' watch spin on it’s flights. Blimey!